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Came from Istanbul 4 weeks ago. It was quiet and peaceful there. Possible instability on the south border.
The situation in Turkey is far from peaceful. Istanbul is the farthest away, but still affected. 3 million refugees from Syria live in Istanbul alone. Early in 2015, there was a suicide bombing in Istanbul near blue mosque. From my talks with Istanbul hotel managers, tourism is way down this year. There was of course 2 other bombings in 2015, close to Turkey's southern border. But the most heinous was in Ankara, the capital, this October, which killed over 100 people. And situation is going to get worse for Turkey in the coming months, not better.
I wanted to pop back in to this thread to report that my son had a wonderful trip to Marrakech at the end of November. What a beautiful city filled with kind and warm-hearted people. My son studies Arabic (novice) but is fluent in French so moved comfortably around the non-tourist part of the city where they rented a riad, explored the souks, visited a hammam and even took a cooking class. His group also spent two days camping in the desert at Erg Lihoudi. A magnificent adventure he will remember always!
Lightweight and convertible pants/shorts were perfect with layered tops. Fleece and down jackets and no jeans meant that everything was light and compact enough to carry in a single carry-on, even accounting for short two-day stops in London en route there and back.
Recently I have been fascinated by Islam and in the future I want to visit muslim countries (iran, egypt, morocco, saudi arabia, syria).
Are they safe places?
Are they cheap?
What about the culture?
I am asking it in a nutshell how was it for anyone who have been in these places?
Ya. .... You totally need to do more research. You questions suggest you have very poor knowledge of this topic. These are very different places. Have different cultures, traditions, speak different languages and practice Islam differently. I have been to morocco, egypt and have partial Syrian and Lebanese heritage. These are different places and should be treated differently. You cannot just visit Saudi Arabia. Very different entrance requirements. Search one country at a time ... Too different to compare. Not to be a rude, but do you have a tv .... There is war going on in Syria. I have been to Turkey too. Out of these places Morocco is the most stable right now and would be my suggestion for a first time visit.
The Arabs and Muslims are quite worldly. You will find them above average in their ability to speak English. They understand Christian values, and they understand the cultures of non-Islamic countries. They know that you have different customs and values, and are ready to allow for that. They have seen plenty of movies and TV shows about western countries, and nothing you do will surprise or shock them. Which is not to say it will not offend them, because they have their own comfort zones of propriety, just like you do.
Hospitality is a very important element in their culture. They are very hospitable to each other, and disarmingly hospitable to visitors. Honor is also very important to them, and they are inclined to stand by their word, and if they seem not to trust you, it is because they have seen so many media portrayals of westerners betraying trust.
It is not hard to find a guide online about how to behave in a Muslim or Arab country without offending anyone. It's just a paragraph or two -- read it and remember it. When visiting their country, you are a guest in somebody's home. Respect that as you would one of your own neighbors. You will be rewarded with kindness.
The Arabs and Muslims are quite worldly. You will find them above average in their ability to speak English. They understand Christian values, and they understand the cultures of non-Islamic countries. They know that you have different customs and values, and are ready to allow for that. They have seen plenty of movies and TV shows about western countries, and nothing you do will surprise or shock them. Which is not to say it will not offend them, because they have their own comfort zones of propriety, just like you do.
Hospitality is a very important element in their culture. They are very hospitable to each other, and disarmingly hospitable to visitors. Honor is also very important to them, and they are inclined to stand by their word, and if they seem not to trust you, it is because they have seen so many media portrayals of westerners betraying trust.
It is not hard to find a guide online about how to behave in a Muslim or Arab country without offending anyone. It's just a paragraph or two -- read it and remember it. When visiting their country, you are a guest in somebody's home. Respect that as you would one of your own neighbors. You will be rewarded with kindness.
Okay some of what you are saying I agree with, but the places he mentioned are VERY VERY VERY different. What flys in Morocco or Turkey... might still get you in to hot water in Saudi or Iran. You need to focus more on each country's customs and laws before going. It is not a one size fits all situation. Customs and expectations can also differ in different parts of any country.
Okay some of what you are saying I agree with, but the places he mentioned are VERY VERY VERY different. What flys in Morocco or Turkey... might still get you in to hot water in Saudi or Iran. You need to focus more on each country's customs and laws before going. It is not a one size fits all situation. Customs and expectations can also differ in different parts of any country.
What you say would also apply to Ecuador, Congo, Finland and the Philippines, all Christian countries, with very different cultural and social customs. Try not to offend the local people, and they will treat you just fine. Muslims, too.
I've been in all five of the countries the OP mentioned, and I found the people in all five of them to be hospitable and generous to a fault, welcoming and tolerant of people with different social customs than their own. In fact, the first people I met in Saudi Arabia immediately invited me to their home.
Morocco, I think, would be the least welcoming, because they are accustomed to tourists marching through their country, often openly offending Moroccan customs.
07-23-2017, 12:43 AM
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Can you believe Oman, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Qatar, Azerbaijan, UAE, Morocco, Kazakhstan, Albania, Kyrgyzstan, Bosnia Herzegovina, Malaysia, Jordan, Tajikistan, Bahrain, Kuwait, Indonesia are quite low to even non-existent on the Global Terrorism risk scale! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_Terrorism_Index Unheard of Extreme Division People Have To Learn In The News Media. There are three groups of Arabic Islamic identity labels. Earlier reference of Group 1 Very Ethical No Problem Giving Us A Dubai. Second group Is In between with behavior of each tendencies or detached tentative moderation. Of course the third group with negative stereotypes piercing through unfortunately. Tons of safe options, and always pledge allegiance to the first identification expression. They never cause problems, or motivate any tensions.
Can you believe Oman, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Qatar, Azerbaijan, UAE, Morocco, Kazakhstan, Albania, Kyrgyzstan, Bosnia Herzegovina, Malaysia, Jordan, Tajikistan, Bahrain, Kuwait, Indonesia are quite low to even non-existent on the Global Terrorism risk scale! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_Terrorism_Index Unheard of Extreme Division People Have To Learn In The News Media. There are three groups of Arabic Islamic identity labels. Earlier reference of Group 1 Very Ethical No Problem Giving Us A Dubai. Second group Is In between with behavior of each tendencies or detached tentative moderation. Of course the third group with negative stereotypes piercing through unfortunately. Tons of safe options, and always pledge allegiance to the first identification expression. They never cause problems, or motivate any tensions.
I doubt Indonesia is quite low to non-existent, and there has been many that been killed from terrorism there including many westerners since the year 2000. The worst was the Bali bombings at an nightclub there that killed over a hundred people and most of them were Westerners. The worst was during the first decade of the 21st century. Yet these days you don't hear about it, but the risk is still there.
With the exception of Syria, the ME region is very safe and hospitable, just don't smoke weed or do dumb sh*t and you'll be fine.
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Differences places....
